You know how I love Vanessa’s from Hooked On Sunshine, patterns.
They are one of the best written and beautiful blankets out there.
They are just so dreamy, full of texture and captivating. They really are everything rolled into one.
When she published a pattern called, “Marnie’s Garden” I fall in love and knew I had to make it.

I didn’t just want to make it for anyone, it had to be for someone special and in delicious yarn. So when I decided to make my wonderful Mum a blanket for her new home, I knew it was the perfect pattern and the most beautiful Christmas gift.
I decided on my favourite yarn, yes you guessed it, Scheepjes Stone Washed XL in the colour Moonstone.
I adore working with this yarn, I could honestly use it for all my crochet work, if our bank balance allowed but unfortunately that is not the case so I can only use it for extra special projects. In honesty though I really don’t like using other yarns now, Scheepjes Stone Washed  XL  and Scheepjes Stone washed has my heart. ❤️

Our family does Christmas a little differently. We put names in a hat and who evers name we pull out we buy for them and only them with a price limit of £40. It’s kinda like a secret Santa.
I knew that the yarn would come way over budget but that didn’t stop me ordering the yarn and making a start.

I hade been stuck in a rut with crochet for a while, my crojo had disappeared entirely but as soon as I had completed the first few rounds, I was hooked.
There are three designers that alway get my crojo flowing again, Tinna from Tinna Crochet, Tatsiana from Lilla Björn Crochet World and of course Vanessa from Hooked On Sunshine. 

Marnie’s Garden did not disappoint, it was calming, it soothed the soul, it’s intriguing and captivating and kept me on my toes just enough without stressing me out.
The pattern as always was perfectly written and clear as a whistle. Vanessa’s patterns really are perfect, actually beyond perfect. They are extremely easy to follow with very clear instructions. They are up there with the best,  truly they are exceptional.

It wasn’t long before I had stitched the last stitch, sewn/weaved in the ends, washed and blocked my Marnie’s Garden. And I was over the moon with it.

I only made one pattern repeat and decided to finish the lapghan without using the border part of the pattern. Mum and I are very alike and tend to like nice straight edges, even though Vanessas border is absolutely gorgeous, I knew Mum would prefer a nice clean straight edge.
Instead of making single crochets around the final round, I made Half Double Crochet stitches in the third loop, just to give it a little something extra and I think it turned out ok.
What do you think? Do you like it?

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty – yarn use, yarn cost and size.

I used a Clover Soft Touch Crochet Hook 6mm hook.
I ended up using 22 skeins (1804.0 yards (1649.6 meters), 1100 grams) of Scheepjes Stone Washed Xl, which I brought from, Wool Warehouse.
The total yarn cost was £65.78.
The finished lapghan measures 40” x 40”.

I started making Mum’s Marnie’s Garden on the 15th October 2020 and finished on the 12th November 2020. 4 weeks in total. Not bad going. 😆

You can purchase your own copy of Marnie’s Garden, on Hooked on Sunshine’s website here and on Ravelry here.
It’s a steal at only $5.00 USD, that’s about £3.82.
If you are new to crochet, there are videos to help you along which you can find here.

Why not have a little gander at the beautiful masterpieces that have already been made or are in the making.

If you have been missing out on Vanessa’s amazing talent, here’s a few places you can find her.

Here Website here.
Ravelry here.
Instagram here.
Facebook here.
Her Facebook group here.
YouTube here.
And Etsy here.

If you fall in love with Marnie’s Garden, as much as I have, please feel free to share your makes with me, I truly would love to see your blankets.
Until next time, have a hooktastic day.
stay safe, stay true, not blue.

Too-da-loo for now.

🧶🧶🧶